The Barrow

An area of particularly powerful winds on Xaolia.

The Barrow is a large region on the normally calm gas giant which is known for its abnormally powerful storms, inducing electrical discharges (lightning), powerful cyclones and other various threats. As the old Drath cities drifted around the planet slowly, some of them might have entered the barrow. This would have caused damage to some of the oldest cities, established after the invasion and fall of Micars and drath resettlement to Xaolia. Newer cities are built with far more advanced technology and would withstand the winds easily. Due to complex and in depth drath analysis of the weather patterns, they could establish protocols to help them withstand the weather, even in the earliest days of inhabiting Xaolia. The success of the protocols are evident in that no cities have been completely destroyed by the Barrow, ever. 

It is unknown what causes the Barrow. It is thought that some planetary core irregularities would cause it somehow, as Xaolia is known to have an irregular core but it is not known why this would cause the Barrow. It is known to remain in the same place, as it has never moved around the planet. The sheer size of Xaolia in comparison to other planets is evident because the Barrow is only a small component of Xaolia, and yet is large enough to easily fit most non-gas giant planets into it.

Many measures need to be taken to protect objects from the Barrow, such as shielding a craft from lighting strikes in all directions, armouring every component and weak point enough so that it does not get damaged by the dust that it can sometimes fling around, ensuring this does does not build up and clog any moving parts such as radars and thrusters and ensuring that the ship can easily calculate the weather pattern to take measures in advance to prepare for it. Some stations might utilise it though, to either capture some gas giant gas or to use it as a wind powered generator providing free energy easily and cheaply.